The present disclosure generally relates to wind turbines for converting wind energy into electrical energy.
A wind turbine typically includes a rotor having at least one rotor blade and a hub, and a machine nacelle wherein the machine nacelle is arranged rotatably atop a wind turbine tower. The overall weight of the machine nacelle including the rotor determines the design of the mechanical arrangement which is used for rotating the machine nacelle about a vertical axis, e.g. a vertical tower axis. The weight and the structure of the at least one rotor blade of the wind turbine contributes to the overall weight deposited onto the machine nacelle.
Furthermore heavy and bulky rotor blades are typically transported using complex transportation means. In order to save shipping costs, the weight of individual rotor blades and other components attached to the machine nacelle of a wind turbine may be an issue. Rotor blades of wind turbines which are structured in a complicated way thus increase the overall weight atop the wind turbine tower. The consequence is a bearing assembly for arranging the machine nacelle rotatably atop the wind turbine power which can withstand high loads.